The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses Short Essay - Answer Key

1. When talking about the highest virtues, Lewis states that people today see unselfishness as the highest but that Christians of old thought love is the greatest. Lewis believes unselfishness to be a negative term while love is positive. Why does Lewis believe that unselfishness is negative?

In discussing virtues, Lewis believes that unselfishness--which is commonly thought of as a virtue in today's society--is a negative term because it focuses not on doing good for others but on going without good ourselves. He goes on to say that while the New Testament does have a lot to say about self-denial, it is usually a means to an end rather than the end itself. Lewis seems to believe that the focus on unselfishness leads us to miss the point of the Christian faith.